The Ghosts of Christmas Past
by TheIrkenMachine
Summary: We all know Eddy isn't very fond of Christmas. Did you ever wonder why? Oneshot.


**The Ghosts of Christmas Past**

_By: xSweetxPandemoniumx_

_December 24, 2007_

Eight-year-old Eddy ran eagerly after his older brother though the fresh snow. It was mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve and the older sibling had agreed to allow young Eddy to accompany him and his high-school aged friends on an outing to the woods over in Lemonbrook. The grounds in Lemonbrook Woods were ideal for sledding, which was what the boys planned on doing.

Eddy was thrilled that his older brother was letting him hang out with him and his older friends. He had been bragging about it to the other kids in the cul-de-sac all week, and now it was finally happening. Eddy was sure this would be a Christmas he would remember. If only he knew then how right he would be.

The boys had been out sledding for about two hours and Eddy wasn't even beginning to tire. The same could not be said of his high-school aged brother and his brother's friends. The older boys were not physically tired, but they were bored, and they were beginning to tire of Eddy's energetic antics.

"Hey, guys! Watch this! Look at me!" Eddy shouted to them from the top of the sledding hill, waving his arms in their general direction, "Are you watchin?"

"Yeah, bro, we're watchin'!" Eddy's brother answered.

"Dude, your brother's gettin' on my nerves," said one of the three older boys. They were all standing near a clove of trees, watching Eddy continue to sled down the same hill over-and-over again.

"Yeah, I know, but come on. I mean, he's only eight," Eddy's brother answered.

It was silent again for a few minutes, aside from Eddy's constant calling for them to watch him. After a few more minutes, one of the other boys spoke up again.

"C'mon, man. This is boring. Let's go do something else."

"Okay, okay," Eddy's brother complied, "Hey, Eddy! Come on! We're leaving!"

Eddy stopped mid-way up the hill again. His face dropped and his shoulders slouched in disappointment.

"Just a little bit longer?" he asked his brother from the hillside.

Eddy's brother glanced at his two friends, who both shook their heads in disapproval.

"No," Eddy's brother called back, "Come on. We're leaving now."

"No," Eddy whined, "We just got here! Come on, just a bit longer. Please?"

"Eddy, I said no. Come on, get down here."

Eddy looked at his brother from the hillside, continuing to pout. He didn't move; he just stood there defiantly. The two older boys were standing next to Eddy's brother now, looking very impatient.

"Eddy, come down here, now!"

Again, Eddy didn't budge.

"Eddy, I swear, if I have to come over there and get you…"

Eddy stuck his tongue out at his brother before the sentence was complete.

"Dude, just go get him so we can leave," one of the other boys, presumably the leader, ordered Eddy's brother.

Eddy's brother sighed and started marching toward the small hill Eddy was still standing on top of. Eddy, determined to get his own way and convinced that he could get the older boys to stay if only they saw how much fun this all was, took off running. His brother ran after him, trying to get a hold of him, but Eddy began darting around trees, escaping his older sibling every time. This went on for a few minutes, long enough for the older brother to become winded.

"Dude, just get in the car," one of the older boys called to Eddy's brother, "If he thinks we're leaving he'll probably follow us."

Eddy's brother turned and started walking back toward his friend's car. Once he realized he was being ignored, Eddy ran out of the woods, pushed his brother playfully from behind, then darted right back into the woods again.

"Damn it, Eddy! Would you stop it and just get in the care already?" His brother shouted back to the trees.

"No!"

"Then we're gonna leave you here!"

Eddy didn't budge from his spot among the trees. The threat didn't scare him at all. He knew his brother wouldn't actually leave him alone in the woods. Eddy just decided he'd wait until the other boys gave in and came back to play.

When Eddy's brother reached the old car, his two friends were already inside with the engine running. Eddy's brother got in the back seat and slammed the door shut, shivering a little at the cold that accompanied the setting winter sun.

"Is he coming yet?" Eddy's brother asked, looking over his shoulder out the back window.

There was no sign that Eddy had emerged from the woods. The young driver of the car shifted it into gear, causing a little bit of alarm for Eddy's brother. He looked back up at his friend a little bit nervously, but when the car didn't take off, he turned his gaze back to the trees behind them.

It was getting dark fast, and he had to squint now to see very far. However, as he peered into the impending darkness, he could make out a yellow coat and a small form emerging from the dense trees just past the sledding hill. Apparently, Eddy had become worried when the break lights lit up and decided he had better comply to the older boy's wishes to leave.

"Here he comes," Eddy's brother said, sounding a little bit relieved.

Eddy was about half way to the car when the locks on the doors clicked shut. His brother looked back to the front seat in confusion. Suddenly, his friend hit the gas, causing the tires to spin and throw snow back at young Eddy before the car took off.

"What are you doing?" Eddy's brother shouted in alarm at his friends.

"Teaching your brother a lesson," replied the driver.

"Yeah, and we don't wanna listen to him whine the whole back to Peach Creek anyway," said the other boy in the passenger seat.

Eddy's brother looked indignant.

"You can't just leave him!" He shouted, "He's a little kid! It's freezing out there! You can't just leave him in the woods!"

"Dude, chill," said the boy in the passenger seat, "He'll be fine. It's only 15 minutes back to Peach Creek. Then you can come back in your own car and get him."

Eddy's brother looked perfectly sickened now. He couldn't believe this was happening. He should have known better than to let Eddy come with them. He knew his friends weren't the most charming ethical people in the world, but he never thought they would do something like this. He was scared for his younger brother at the moment and was hoping the young boy wouldn't hate him forever after this.

Eddy's eyes widened in horror as the car began to pull away. He ran after it, calling out to his older brother in a panic.

"Wait! Stop!" He yelled, "Don't leave me! I'm sorry! Don't leave me!"

Eventually he couldn't keep up with the accelerating vehicle anymore and came to a stand still in the middle of the woods. As the knowledge that he was alone in the woods began to sink in, Eddy became absolutely terrified. It was dark and it was cold and he soon began to shiver both out of coldness and out of fear.

Eddy looked around with frantic eyes. He suddenly feared all kinds of strange noises, both real and imaginary, that came from the woods and he feared whatever beast might be making those noises. He couldn't see anything but trees and snow, but he could swear he felt malicious eyes watching him.

Eddy started backing away from a particularly menacing clump of trees, whimpering when he stumbled and fell over a snow covered fallen tree branch. He quickly stood up again, and spun around. He was surrounded by trees on all sides and was beginning to feel lost in the forest, despite the fact that the sledding hill was only a few yards away.

Eddy's breathing became fast and short and he fearfully backed away from a perceived fear in another dark clump of trees. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and backed into a thick bush, which sent two birds flying out in alarm.

Eddy screamed and tried to get away. He stumbled and fell yet again. This time he flipped over onto his back and scurried away until he bumped into another something. He looked up and realized he had bumped into the base of the sledding hill, which now looked much bigger than it had in daylight.

Eddy curled up against the base of the hill, shivering and whimpering. He was lost in blind fear and felt that he would surely die in those woods. Eddy hugged his knees to his chest and started rocking back and forth.

"Come back," he whimpered softly, "Come back. I'm sorry. Please come back."

Eddy was oblivious to the icy tears streaming down his face. He was becoming physically numb from the cold night wind and the fear that clutched his mind.

It was a little over half an hour later when Eddy's brother returned to the woods to find his younger sibling. He was more than a little worried when Eddy didn't immediately come running to him. He parked his car, but left the headlights on so they illuminated the woods as far as the sledding hill. No sight of Eddy.

"Eddy!" His brother called, "Where are you? I'm not playin' man, where are you?"

Eddy's brother searched the area, a panic rising in him when he couldn't find his little brother. At last he found him, however, still curled up on the other side of the sledding hill.

"Oh thank God," Eddy's brother murmured as he ran to his brother.

"Eddy…" He knelt in the snow beside Eddy's crumbled and still shivering figure. His eyes were still wide in fear, though unresponsive now. His tears had left uneven lines running down his paler-than-normal face and the only noises he made now where very faint whimpering noises.

Eddy's brother prayed to all higher powers that Eddy's unresponsiveness was only a temporary symptom of the cold. He would never be able to forgive himself if Eddy was seriously hurt. Eddy's brother gently scooped the smaller boy up in his arms and carried him back to the car, placing him on the passenger side and then removing his own coat to give to his brother.

He drove them back to Peach Creek as quickly as possible and carried Eddy inside to his room. He placed the boy on the circle-shaped bed, then left again to get a warm washcloth.

When he returned, Eddy had rolled onto his side and his eyes were focused again. They were looking at the far wall, holding a sadness that Eddy's brother had never wanted to see residing in his little brother. He sat down on the bed and used the warm washcloth to wipe away Eddy's frozen tears.

"Eddy…I'm sorry," he began, "I didn't think they'd actually—"

"I hate you," Eddy cut him off. He felt tears stinging his eyes again and quickly turned away from his older brother.

Eddy's brother stared at Eddy's back. He knew that posture meant Eddy wanted to be left alone. Silently, he got up and left. At least Eddy was okay. That was what mattered the most. He had the rest of his life to work on gaining Eddy's trust back.

The next morning was Christmas. Eddy woke up around noon to a quiet house and the smell of wood burning in their fireplace. It took a few minutes to recall exactly how he got in his bed the previous night and a few more minutes to recall what day it was. Once he realized it was Christmas, his spirits lifted and he ran out to the family room to see what presents he had.

What he found once he reached his family room would officially mark this particular Christmas as the worst Christmas ever in his young mind.

His brother was sitting in one of the chairs with is head buried in his hands. His father had his back to him, gazing out a window and looking as distraught as his brother. And his mother – his mother was standing in front of the fireplace chucking the last of Eddy's unopened gifts into the fire.

She turned around when she heard her youngest son's footsteps in the doorway. She took a second to analyze Eddy's dumfounded and heartbroken expression.

"Little boys who don't listen and get lost in the woods don't get presents," she told him.

Eddy's gaze snapped over to his brother, who still sat with his head buried in his hands.

"Don't worry," his mother said, "He didn't get any presents either."

Eddy looked at his mother again with the most broken expression on his face. He then turned and ran back to his room. Eddy's brother rose from his chair shortly after and left the room without even glancing at his parents. He entered Eddy's room, closing the door softly behind him.

Eddy was sitting on his bed with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms trying to hide his teary eyes. His brother sat down next to him, trying to think of anything of value to say.

"I hate Christmas," Eddy said softly.

Eddy's brother sighed quietly. He didn't want Eddy to have to grow up this way. He ran a hand through his messy hair as the two of them sat together in silence. Suddenly, an idea occurred to Eddy's brother that might make Eddy's Christmas a little less horrible. He fished around in his pocket until he found the golden colored key he was looking for.

"Hey, Eddy, come with me. I have something to show you," he said, rising from the bed and walking toward the door.

Eddy looked at his brother curiously, then followed him out into the hallway and to his bedroom, which existed behind a rebellious-looking black door. Inside, Eddy's brother knelt down next to Eddy and presented him with the key.

"You see this key? This key is for that car."

Eddy's brother gestured to an old yet impressive looking classic car sitting against one bedroom wall. How it got in there is anybody's guess. Eddy nodded, but still looked confused.

"I still a need a few more things to get it up and running," he said, "but when I do, you can have it."

Eddy's eyes widened and he looked at his brother in disbelief.

"I can have it?" Eddy repeated.

"Yep, it's all yours."

Eddy's brother held out the key and Eddy took it, still looking totally shocked.

"Wow…thanks," Eddy said at last.

He looked up at his older brother and smiled. The past few days had been the worst days of Eddy's life and this one gesture by his brother to give him a decent Christmas meant the world to Eddy. He couldn't resist it – he reached his arms out and gave his brother the forbidden hug. Much to his surprise, instead of pushing him away, his brother hugged him back.

"So we're cool then?" His brother asked. "You don't still hate me?"

"No." Eddy shook his head.

"Good," his brother answered, ruffling Eddy's hair playfully.

Eddy opened his eyes in the present. It had been years since the sledding incident, but it was a memory he had never forgotten. He sat up on the edge of his bed and rubbed his eyes wearily. It had also been a few years since his brother left home and never came back. Eddy missed him more than he'd ever let on to anyone, especially at Christmas time.

Eddy stood up and went to his window, looking out at the crisp white snow. He put his hand in his pocket and felt the golden car key he had stored there since the day his brother gave it to him. He smiled faintly as another memory started to return to him, but he was interrupted by a knock outside his door.

Eddy sighed to himself and let the key fall back into his pocket. He opened the door to let Edd and Ed come inside.

"Merry Christmas Eve, Eddy!" Edd greeted, "How are you doing this joyous evening?"

Eddy pushed his past memories aside and put on the smile and arrogant expression his friends were so used to seeing.

"I'm just peachy, Double-D," he answered, "I'm just peachy."

_**The End.**_

Ed, Edd n Eddy © Danny Antonucci and Cartoon Network


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